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PhoneLine /
HPNA / HomePNA Networks
Official Names:
HPNA / HomePNA
Versions
HPNA 1.0 – 1Mbps – old standard
HPNA 2.0 – 10Mbps Avail Now – popular
HPNA 3.0 – 100Mbps Est. release Q1 2002
PhoneLine networking, as it’s name applies, uses
your existing phone lines to connect your computers. It does not interfere
with voice operations or DSL on your existing live telephone line. Your
HPNA network, DSL and voice communications can happen on the SAME phone
lines simultaneously. Since HPNA does not require new cabling in your
home, it is one of my favorite network types to install.
HPNA 1.0 was met in the industry with excitement but
limited success. 2.0 brought the speed up to a good level and brought the
price down too! Since then HPNA 2.0 has been adopted by almost all
of the home network manufacturers. Network adapters, routers and bridges
are all available. In addition, many multimedia devices for your AV system
come equipped with HPNA networking.
The Adapters
HPNA network adapters come in
both PCI and USB versions. A PCI adapter is going to be less expensive and
will provide a little better performance - however, it will require you to
open your computer. USB to PhoneLine Network adapters plug into an USB
port on your computer so setup is a snap. USB adapters are low voltage
items so no external power supplies are needed.
The
Connections 
Connections between computers
are made with standard phone line cables. Like other phone line devices, Phoneline network adapters have two jacks so that
computers and HPNA enabled peripherals can be daisy chained together. No hubs
or switches are necessary.
HPNA networks can stretch up to
1000 feet over the existing phone line wiring in your home. HPNA networks
do not interfere with voice, modem, or DSL communications over the same
exact phone
wire.
Link Lights
Most HPNA adapters have
small indicator lights called link lights. These lights tell you when you
have everything connected correctly. Often, these lights will not come on
until your computer has the proper network drivers installed.
Network Drivers
Each operating system and each
network card has its own install procedure. Please follow the directions
that came with your network card to install your network drivers.
When to use
HPNA
When most of your computers are in the same room,
Ethernet is by far the best choice because of cost and speed. Computers in
other rooms can be added to your Ethernet network by using a HPNA bridge
and a HPNA network card in each remote computer. HPNA bridges are devices
that translate Ethernet into HPNA phoneline networking. Broadband routers
with built in HPNA have both HPNA and Ethernet ports and act as a network
bridge too.
Glenn Merkel has also
successfully connected two physically separate Ethernet networks in his
home using two HPNA bridges – and no HPNA network adapters. In his
configuration, the bridges simply ‘jump’ network packets from one Ethernet
network to the other through the phone lines. Since a broadband router is
on the network, all his computers can get to the Internet – even the ones
in the entertainment room. See his network diagram
here
Important Links
External Links
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